Park Jin-hyuk, suffering from a lack of sleep, kept yawning all morning.
He had to wake up at 5 a.m. to get to Hannam-dong.
Since his days as a student at Yujeong High, going to bed early and rising early had become a habit for Park Jin-hyuk.
But no matter how much he tried, even Park Jin-hyuk couldn’t get used to waking up at five in the morning.
“Yawn.”
Kim Joon-woo laughed as he watched Park Jin-hyuk let out a big yawn.
“You look very tired these days.”
“I’m dead tired. At this rate, I might get a nosebleed.”
Park Jin-hyuk, who woke himself up every morning with a large mug of Americano filled to the brim, kept sipping coffee in an effort to shake off his drowsiness. Kim Joon-woo started reporting to him right away.
“As you instructed, sir, I kept a close eye on the flow of the stock purchase funds.”
“So, what’s the conclusion?”
“The conclusion is, we’ve confirmed that the funds did not come from Vice Chairman Park Soo-man’s personal assets.”
“Really? Then that means the money came from another pocket, doesn’t it? Hmm…”
It was something Park Jin-hyuk had expected, but as soon as it was proven to be true, his mind started to grow complicated.
“They say the Chairman told you to handle it yourself, so shall we move forward right away?”
“No. Hold it. Not yet.”
“Pardon?”
The reason Park Jin-hyuk braced himself to go to Hannam-dong, even if it meant eating with people he disliked, was for something else.
If Park Joon-man moved first, they could lose the rare opportunity they’d finally gotten.
With no way to know if such a definite chance would come again, Park Jin-hyuk endured the hassle of going to Hannam-dong to make sure Park Joon-man wouldn’t be able to make the first move.
Knowing this, Kim Joon-woo questioned Park Jin-hyuk’s decision.
“Do you have another plan in mind?”
“For now, we only know the money came from somewhere else, not where exactly, right?”
“Still, just the fact that they’re using borrowed-name accounts to purchase stock is enough to push them out of management.”
“No, that alone is just a scandal.”
“Then…”
Kim Joon-woo mulled over what it was that Park Jin-hyuk wanted, then his eyes suddenly widened.
“Don’t tell me you’re aiming for something bigger than a scandal?”
“Exactly. I intend to wait until a legal issue comes to light. That way, there’ll be no turning back for them.”
Scandals among owner families weren’t rare.
Especially ones involving borrowed-name accounts—people had heard it so much that most were no longer shocked.
Being forced out of management for such an issue had become a mere misdemeanor, with offenders returning a year or two later.
So Park Jin-hyuk believed this wasn’t enough.
“Find out exactly where the money came from. The source might be the key to what they’re planning.”
“Tying them up legally would be most effective, but do you really think the Chairman will just stand by?”
“That’s why I bothered going all the way to Hannam-dong. And why I’m so tired now—because I’m keeping the promise to have breakfast at least once a week…”
Park Jin-hyuk finished his words with another big yawn.
After his last visit, Park Joon-man had ordered him to have breakfast at Hannam-dong at least once a week, preferably twice if there was no special reason.
It was a special instruction for the family not to grow distant, for Park Jin-hyuk to stay close.
But Park Jin-hyuk knew this was a show for outsiders, to demonstrate a close father-son relationship.
And agreeing that such appearances were necessary, Park Jin-hyuk accepted his father’s suggestion.
However, the biggest problem with this new arrangement had popped up elsewhere.
Onsan-daek had packed her things and moved to Hannam-dong.
After seeing the place in a worse state than when she managed it, she decided she had to stay at the main house for a while to get things back in order.
At first, Park Jin-hyuk enjoyed not having her nagging him anymore, but that didn’t last.
With the person who perfectly managed the nearly 3300-square-foot duplex gone, inconveniences started piling up.
The new person he’d hurriedly hired was still unfamiliar with everything, and that grated on Park Jin-hyuk’s nerves.
Living with someone new in the house was uncomfortable, to say the least.
Onsan-daek had always felt like a grandmother from the first time they met, which made things easy.
But living with the new lady was just awkward in every way.
Onsan-daek had found out about Park Jin-hyuk’s discomfort.
That’s because Park Jin-hyuk contacted her first to ask when her errands would be done.
Hearing this, and since she’d promised to come to Hannam-dong at least once a week anyway, Onsan-daek slyly suggested, “Why not just move your nest to Hannam-dong altogether?”
She coaxed Park Jin-hyuk, saying his old room was still the same, and since she’d be at Hannam-dong, all he needed to do was bring himself over.
Listening to her, Park Jin-hyuk realized why Onsan-daek had come to Hannam-dong despite her dislike for Oh Seo-young.
‘She came here first because she wanted to draw me to Hannam-dong.’
With that realization, Park Jin-hyuk yawned so hard that his eyes watered, then turned back to Kim Joon-woo to say what he’d been meaning to.
“Get evidence so solid that no one can say a word. That way, whether we tie them up legally or by other means, we’ll be able to handle things just as we wish.”
“Nothing unexpected will happen, right?”
“Unexpected? In this fight, whoever moves first loses. All we have to do is wait. They’ll make the first move eventually, and when they do, we’ll strike with the evidence we’ve secured.”
Finishing his words, Park Jin-hyuk took another sip of coffee to drive off his drowsiness.
*****
Just as Park Jin-hyuk predicted, Park Soo-man’s movements gradually increased in scope.
The amount of information piling up also kept growing.
But, contrary to expectations, since they kept circling the outskirts and never making a decisive move, Park Jin-hyuk felt something was off and found himself unable to act as planned.
So he decided to call in Hyun Yi-soo, who was now going through all the information gathered so far right before his eyes.
“Is what they’re trying to do really to take over DS Telecom? The more time passes, the more it seems like they’re pouring effort into something that’s hopeless.”
At Park Jin-hyuk’s words, Hyun Yi-soo cocked his head as he replied.
“Vice Chairman Park’s side isn’t trying to do something impossible. But they are overreaching. Is an emergency shareholders’ meeting scheduled?”
Hyun Yi-soo shot the question at Kim Joon-woo.
Kim Joon-woo, sitting at one end of the sofa, shook his head.
“There hasn’t been any announcement of a shareholders’ meeting yet.”
“Then that means they haven’t secured enough shares for a proxy battle. Are these reports reliable?”
Hyun Yi-soo held up the documents to Kim Joon-woo, double-checking despite knowing he never brought unreliable information.
“They’re solid.”
“Why are they doing this? What’s the point? Why insist on making DS Telecom their target? I don’t get it.”
Hyun Yi-soo checked the documents several more times, shaking his head.
To him, Park Soo-man’s actions seemed not just reckless, but like a gamble.
“What’s so odd about it?”
“Well, there are other things that will need more time to clarify, so we should wait. But the fact that they’ve chosen DS Telecom as their battlefield— I just can’t shake the feeling something’s off.”
“Isn’t it only natural to target Telecom, since the head of DS Communications is Telecom?”
“No, it’s not that simple. There are too many variables. The biggest problem is securing enough shares. Even if they’ve used borrowed-name accounts to secure at least 5%, that’s nowhere near enough. Considering the company’s own shares and friendly shares held by the National Pension Fund, you’d need at least 30% to have a shot in a vote. But they’ve only got about 7%. This is…”
Hyun Yi-soo trailed off, repeatedly shaking his head.
“If the labor union supports them, would that help?”
“Even then, they’re still far short.”
“So what you’re saying is, all this might be a decoy to hide their true intentions?”
“That seems highly likely.”
After checking and closing all the documents, Hyun Yi-soo handed them back to Kim Joon-woo and addressed Park Jin-hyuk.
“As you said, sir, it feels like they’re only pretending to focus here to cover up what they’re really doing. But the amount of money invested is too much for a simple feint. And yet, for DS Telecom, it’s still not enough. I have no idea why they’re trying to stir up DS Telecom.”
“So they tried biting off more than they could chew from the start.”
“Yes, that’s right. DS Telecom’s market cap is over 6 trillion won. To try and win a vote here, you’d need at least 1 trillion won in shares. So far, they’ve spent about 300 billion. That means they’d need another 600 or 700 billion at least. I doubt the Vice Chairman’s side can pull that off.”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded in agreement.
“That’s the part that’s bothered me, too. I was suspicious from the start about their 5% acquisition. Now, hearing from you, it seems like an even bumpier road ahead. Then why choose this in the first place?”
“We can’t know their intent, but one thing is clear—they’re overextending. Buying shares in a company of this size is like ramming your head into a brick wall. Unless they’re sure they can get friendly shares… but even if you add undisclosed foreign investors, it still seems impossible.”
Watching Hyun Yi-soo tilt his head, something flashed through Park Jin-hyuk’s mind.
A highly unlikely possibility.
He thought about what people would do if that faint possibility showed a glimmer of hope.
While Hyun Yi-soo kept analyzing back and forth, Park Jin-hyuk sorted out his tangled thoughts and began to speak.
“President Hyun. Let’s say—hypothetically—it’s difficult, almost impossible, but suddenly, a chance appears. What do you think they’ll do?”
“They’d drop everything and go all-in, of course.”
“Right? Even if what they were doing was just a smokescreen for their real plan?”
“Yes, that’s right. Even if it was a feint, if it suddenly becomes possible, they’d change their plans on the spot. But why do you ask?”
Park Jin-hyuk nodded, leaning back into the sofa.
He wore an inscrutable smile.
Hyun Yi-soo saw from his expression that Park Jin-hyuk had realized something.
“Sir, tell me too. What is it?”
At Hyun Yi-soo’s words, Park Jin-hyuk laughed loudly.
“Haha, I really can’t hide my thoughts, can I? It just flashed through my mind—President Hyun, please hear me out and tell me what you think.”
“With your near-miraculous insight, I don’t need to judge. You should just go with your gut.”
“No, but still, please hear me out first.”
Park Jin-hyuk found Hyun Yi-soo’s flattery sweet, and his mood lifted.
Leaning forward, he began to explain his idea.
“Whatever the case, they really did target DS Telecom, didn’t they? And although we don’t know where the money came from, they did spend a huge sum buying shares.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“And the reason this feels like a smokescreen is that the amount of money they’d still need to spend is astronomical, right?”
Instead of replying, Hyun Yi-soo just nodded.
He was starting to see something in Park Jin-hyuk’s words.
From Hyun Yi-soo’s expression, Park Jin-hyuk could tell his own thoughts were beginning to form in the other man’s mind as well.
With a smile, Park Jin-hyuk continued.
“But what if that astronomical amount suddenly became a realistic figure? Wouldn’t they turn all their attention to DS Telecom then?”
When Park Jin-hyuk pulled back the curtain, Hyun Yi-soo finally realized what was on his mind.
“You’re right. If we steer their plans toward a place we know about, it’ll be much easier for us to respond.”
“That’s what I think too. We have no idea what my uncle’s side is really planning. But I’m pretty sure DS Telecom isn’t their true goal. No need for us to be dragged along blindly. If we make their smokescreen become the real goal, it’ll be easier for us to handle.”
Hyun Yi-soo nodded, though there was still one thing that puzzled him.
“But, sir, how are you going to make DS Telecom their real target?”
“Why isn’t it their target now? Because of the money, right?”
“That’s true. The money problem is why they can’t focus on DS Telecom. So…”
“Exactly. So what if we solve the money problem for them?”
“How…”
Hyun Yi-soo trailed off and looked at Kim Joon-woo, as if asking if he knew.
But Kim Joon-woo just sat calmly at one end of the sofa, listening to their conversation without a hint of surprise.
Park Jin-hyuk laced his fingers together and quietly pictured what would come next.